LAHORE, April 27: The labour community would fully support President Gen Pervez Musharraf in his presidential referendum because of the government’s pro-labour policies, Punjab Labour Minister Muhammad Tariq hoped on Saturday.

He was speaking at a labour conference held here at Alhamra under the auspices of the All Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Labour Confederation.

Around 400 leaders of labour community attended the function. They included All Pakistan Labour Confederation President Faqir Hussain Bukhari and Quaid-i-Azam Labour Confederation Chairman Javed Nisar Bajwa.

The minister said that no government could effectively work without the active support of the workers. Keeping in view this, the present government made revival of economy as its number one priority and took measures to establish a cordial relationship between the industrialists and workers.

He said that the government did not want to lay off workers. Not a single low paid employee had been removed from service in the development authorities, he said.

The minister said the government had inherited a plan to fire 45 per cent of the low paid employees but it rejected it. Only those big fish had been proceeded against who indulged in corruption.

He said by providing social security to industrial workers more relief would be provided to industrial units having a small number of work force.

Mr Bukhari praised the policies by the president. Those objecting to the referendum had supported the ones by Gen Ayub Khan and Gen Ziaul Haq, he said.